Although Shen Zhuo did not turn around, he captured the subtle sound of air breaking the moment Huo Qi drew his sword. It was a sneak attack from behind, and it was executed with such clumsy technique.
Shen Zhuo did not turn to parry. Instead, his body naturally shifted half a step to the side. It was precisely this half-step that allowed Huo Qi’s “sure-hit” thrust to graze the fabric of his arm, merely tearing the sleeve without harming a sliver of flesh.
With a backhanded grab, Shen Zhuo once again clamped onto Huo Qi’s sword-wielding wrist. He pulled forward with a forceful yank, using the momentum to spin around and face Huo Qi head-on.
“I gave you a chance,” he sighed. “Junior Brother Huo, things should not happen more than three times.”
As his words fell, his grip suddenly tightened. Huo Qi felt as if his wrist bones were about to shatter. Under the intense pain, his fingers went limp, and with a clatter, his longsword slipped from his hand and hit the ground.
Sweat beaded on his forehead from the pain. Meeting Shen Zhuo’s calm, unruffled eyes, a sudden chill surged through his heart for reasons he could not explain.
“You, let go of me!” Huo Qi struggled, but the more he thrashed, the more unbearable the pain became.
“Attacking a fellow disciple from behind,” Shen Zhuo applied more pressure, “what kind of severe crime is that?”
Huo Qi was in so much pain he nearly fell to his knees. His face was pale and cold sweat poured down. “I, it is all my fault! You, quickly let go!”
Shen Zhuo had no intention of entangling himself further with a junior. After administering a slight punishment, he released his grip. Huo Qi stumbled back several steps, clutching his red and swollen wrist. He looked at Shen Zhuo with a mixture of shock and fear, not daring to take another step forward.
He turned and fled. Only after he was several yards away and saw that Shen Zhuo was not pursuing did he clutch his wrist and shout boastfully, “Just you wait! I will definitely report this to my uncle!”
He had arrived with a younger disciple by his side, but when he fled, he cared only for his own pathetic escape, completely forgetting his companion. When that younger disciple met Shen Zhuo’s gaze, his legs went weak and he collapsed onto his knees.
“Senior Brother Shen, I, I did not do anything!”
Shen Zhuo frowned, wondering why the other was so terrified. After a moment of hesitation, he ultimately did not reach out to help him up, only asking, “The uncle Junior Brother Huo mentioned, do you know who he is?”
The younger disciple stammered, “It is, it is Huo Yinzhi.”
“Huo Yinzhi?”
Shen Zhuo repeated the name. It sounded familiar, but for a moment, he could not recall exactly who it was. Seeing that Shen Zhuo was no longer paying him any mind, the younger disciple scrambled to his feet and stumbled out of sight.
Shen Zhuo treated the encounter with Huo Qi as a mere interlude on the road. Without thinking further on it, he continued toward the Sect Leader’s Peak. After a few steps, he realized something was wrong. Looking down, he saw his sleeve had indeed been slashed open with a long tear, making his inner garment visible.
He could not help but feel helpless. Why was it that every time he encountered Junior Brother Huo, he ended up losing a sleeve? He had no choice but to turn back. It was already getting late, and this round trip would inevitably delay him. It would be inappropriate to visit his master now, so he had to give up for the day.
By the time he returned to his courtyard, the sky was dim. Pushing open the door, he saw someone holding a candle lantern, standing in the courtyard with their back to him.
“Daoist Shen has returned,” the person said, turning around at the sound. His gaze landed on Shen Zhuo’s hanging sleeve. “Where did you go? Your clothes are ruined.”
“I intended to visit my master, but I ran into some trivial matters on the way,” Shen Zhuo said succinctly, then asked, “It is already dark. Why has Daoist Xie not returned to his room to rest?”
Xie Yuan placed the candlestick on the small courtyard table and snapped open his fan. “Waiting for dinner, naturally.”
Shen Zhuo paused, then walked into the courtyard and pointed to one side. “The kitchen is over there. You will not find food just by standing in the yard.”
“The kitchen?” Xie Yuan arched an eyebrow, remaining where he stood. “And then?”
Shen Zhuo walked a couple of steps and looked back to see him unmoved. “And then? Cooking, naturally.”
“Who is doing the cooking?” Xie Yuan blinked and pointed the fan at himself. “Me? Do I look like someone who knows how to cook?”
Shen Zhuo surveyed his brocade robes and his long, slender fingers that showed no signs of labor. He truly did look like a pampered nobleman. Silence fell for a moment. Finally, Shen Zhuo took a deep breath and turned toward the kitchen.
Fine. He would not argue with this young master.
The courtyard kitchen was usually only used by Pei Chuan and Shen Zhuo. Over the past few days while they were at the Jian residence, the stove had not been lit, leaving only some basic rice and noodles. Shen Zhuo scanned the room and formed a plan. He rolled up his sleeves and skillfully started the fire and boiled water.
Xie Yuan leaned against the door to watch, seemingly finding it interesting. “I did not expect Daoist Shen to have such skills. Truly a man who can both grace the Sect and the kitchen.”
Shen Zhuo ignored him. Once the water boiled, he added the noodles and simple seasoning. Before long, two bowls of clear broth plain noodles were ready. Steam rose and the simple aroma of noodles drifted through the air.
He handed a bowl to Xie Yuan. “There is only this.”
Xie Yuan took the bowl, looked at the noodles, and then looked at Shen Zhuo’s expressionless face. The smile in his eyes deepened. “It smells quite fragrant. Thank you for your trouble, Daoist Shen.”
The two sat opposite each other at the stone table in the courtyard, eating their noodles in silence under the evening breeze. Xie Yuan picked up a mouthful of noodles. When he tasted them, his movements paused slightly. He then lifted the bowl and took a small sip of the hot broth. He set the bowl down and looked at Shen Zhuo with a complex expression.
“Daoist Shen, from whom did you learn this noodle-making skill?”
Shen Zhuo was eating with his head down. Hearing this, he looked up and replied, “My Senior Brother taught me. Why?”
He was not lying. Whether the original soul’s Senior Brother had taught him, he was not sure, but in his past life, he had indeed been taught by Pei Chuan. Back then, after Pei Chuan rescued him from the Moyuan Underground Palace and brought him to Xuan Yun Sect, everything had to be done by oneself. Having spent seventeen years by Moyuan’s side without ever touching a stove, he could hardly manage basic survival. The first meal he had upon arriving at Xuan Yun Sect was this bowl of plain noodles Pei Chuan taught him to cook.
Xie Yuan gently stirred the noodles in his bowl, appearing somewhat lost in thought. He murmured to himself, “No wonder.”
“No wonder what?”
Xie Yuan lowered his gaze. “No wonder the taste is so familiar. It is seventy to eighty percent similar to what my master used to make.”
“Has your master not already ascended? He actually used to cook noodles?”
“More than just knew how. When I was young, all my meals were prepared by my master personally.” After saying this, he took another mouthful and chewed slowly.
Shen Zhuo pressed, “Then why did you say no wonder?”
Xie Yuan swallowed. “Because my master also practiced at the Xuan Yun Sect for a period of time.”
“Your master was from the Xuan Yun Sect?” Shen Zhuo was surprised. He asked curiously, “And how did you two meet?”
Xie Yuan put down his chopsticks and remained silent. When Shen Zhuo heard no response, he looked up and met the other’s interested gaze. Only then did Xie Yuan speak leisurely, “Daoist Shen seems exceptionally curious about my business?”
Shen Zhuo’s heart tightened.
“Just a casual question,” he said calmly, picking up his bowl to drink some soup. “If it is inconvenient for Daoist Xie to say, then let it be.”
“It is not particularly inconvenient,” Xie Yuan set down his empty bowl and picked up his white jade fan. “Since Daoist Shen wants to hear it, there is no harm in telling. I was orphaned when I was young, and my relatives seized my family home. Master picked me up off the street.”
He spoke nonchalantly, but Shen Zhuo was stunned. One could only imagine the bitterness of a young child abandoned on the streets, begging for food to survive. Noticing his expression, Xie Yuan lightly tapped the top of Shen Zhuo’s head with the jade fan.
“Do not overthink it. I was picked up by Master right after I was kicked out. I did not suffer much at all.”
Shen Zhuo raised a hand to push the fan away. “Do not touch me.”
Xie Yuan did not mind. Closing the fan, he continued, “He was an immortal who had long since achieved Inedia. After taking on a burden like me, he realized the silver he had on hand was not enough. Left with no choice, he found a merchant family and traded something he carried for silver. Only then did our lives become comfortable.”
Shen Zhuo made the connection to the conversation between Xie Yuan and Song Yan in the small building that night. “Was it that jade pendant from the Song family?”
“Exactly.”
“Then how did you end up becoming a member of Wuyou Valley?”
Shen Zhuo set down his bowl. In a moment of carelessness, his chopsticks slipped from his hand and rolled toward the edge of the table. Just as they were about to hit the ground, a hand reached out from across the table and caught them steadily.
Xie Yuan placed the chopsticks back on the table and continued, “I followed Master in his cultivation and traveled for a time. Later, Master said that going to Wuyou Valley would be more beneficial for my cultivation, so we stayed there temporarily. Later, he left without saying goodbye. Before departing, he entrusted the Valley elders to look after me. That is how I became a member of Wuyou Valley.”
Shen Zhuo asked, “Then why did your master leave?”
Xie Yuan was silent for a moment, his fan unconsciously opening and closing in his hand. “I do not know. He just disappeared like that without any warning. The Valley elders only said that everything Master did was for my sake, telling me not to look for him and just focus on my cultivation. But how could I not look?”
The atmosphere at the table grew somewhat heavy. Shen Zhuo watched him in silence. The flickering candlelight cast shadows across Xie Yuan’s profile, making him look unexpectedly lonely. Driven by some inexplicable impulse, Shen Zhuo stood up, walked to his side, and stiffly patted his shoulder.
“As long as your master is still out there, there will eventually be a day for a reunion.”
Xie Yuan tilted his head up to look at Shen Zhuo standing beside him. After a moment, that cynical smile resurfaced on his face. “So, Daoist Shen, you see that I am lonely and helpless. My master ran away, I have no possessions except for some filthy money, and I can only stay here and sponge off you for food. You cannot drive me away.”
Shen Zhuo looked into his eyes and answered seriously, “Alright. I will not drive you away.”
Xie Yuan froze. Shen Zhuo’s gaze was very still, devoid of its usual coldness and wariness, clearly reflecting Xie Yuan’s currently dazed expression. He could even smell the faint, clean scent of soap from the other’s clothes, interwoven with the warm aroma of the noodle soup.
The evening breeze swirled around them, leaving only the occasional faint crackle of the candle wick. A subtle, ambiguous atmosphere quietly spread during their gaze. Xie Yuan felt as though the distance between them was closing in a tacit understanding. His heart seemed to skip a beat. Some strange emotion flashed through his mind so quickly he could not catch a trace of it.
He watched as Shen Zhuo drew closer and involuntarily swallowed. The entire world was reduced to the breath of the person mere inches away, trapping them both within that tiny space. The spring light passed secretly and affection surged in the dark.
However, in the next moment, Xie Yuan raised his white jade fan. With a slight turn of his wrist, the ribs of the fan perfectly blocked Shen Zhuo’s lips as they were about to touch his.
“Mph.”
Looking at the muffled Shen Zhuo who was unable to speak, Xie Yuan’s tone rose back into its lighthearted lilt.
“Daoist Shen,” he said, applying a bit of pressure to push Shen Zhuo’s head slightly further away, “although I am aware of my exceptional looks, I believe I have said this before. Such wanton behavior, please exercise some restraint, Daoist Shen.”